A Morning of French Wine
16 September, 2017
Today was supposed to be an open day since all we definitely had to do was to get the car back to the rental drop off and check into the hotel in Zurich. Aside from that, the day was free to do as we pleased, whether it was staying in Alsace, going back through Germany, heading back early for more time in Zurich, or maybe finding something new. It was all to be decided on the spot.
Unfortunately, I was in far too much pain to really go walking through the city or do any deep exploring. My ankle was swelling up and it was difficult to walk far. We ultimately decided to take a lazy, slow way back to Zurich through the Black Forest, and maybe stop back at a familiar place or two. First, we planned to drop in to a winery that was near our hotel before leaving Eguisheim. We didn't see nearly as many wineries as we had thought we would, and this was going to be our last chance.
After a keugelhopf and some coffee – because we aren't starting the day with wine on an empty stomach – we dropped in to Wolfberger winery, which was right next to our hotel. The place was pretty large and the selection was a bit overwhelming. We tasted a good few wines, though there were so many more we'd have liked. But it was still morning. How much wine should we really have this early? There were a few out of the ones we tried that were noted as award winners, but in particular one stood out to us. The 2015 Pinot Gris Grand Cru Eichberg was something special!
We are fairly new to wine appreciation. I could tell you everything about beer brewing and styles just from a single sip, but my knowledge of wine is not yet nearly as refined. We are learning more as time passes and are now at the point where we don't just know what we like, but why we like it... and equally as important we are understanding what we don’t like and why. One of the draws of Alsace is the area is prevalent with white wines. That is their specialty. Two of our favorite varieties are Riesling and Gewürztraminer, and they are also happen to be two of the premier wines of Alsace. However, we were so surprised to find our favorites not being either of these, but the third premier wine of the area - Pino Gris! We have had Gris in the US before and for the most part found it underwhelming, but Alsatian Pinot Gris is just fantastic!
As we learn more about the winemaking process I am finding that one of the things fascinating me is the concept of "terroirs". We really liked this Pinot Gris Eichberg from Wolfberger. Pinot Gris is the grape variety of course, but Eichberg refers to the actual vineyard where it was grown. In French (and winemaking in general I believe) they refer to the ground and the impact it has on the wine as terroir. The same grape made into wine using the same process but planted in even slightly different locations would produce vastly different wines because of that location difference. The composition of the soil, the water it retains, the density of how it is packed, and the rocks under the dirt all have such an impact on the properties of the grape, so much more impact than I ever would have imagined. We have personally found that we really like the terroirs heavy with limestone, as it adds a nice minerality to the wine... but that is just one feature in so many variables. Maybe there is limestone under the dirt, but another can have limestone under a more clay like dirt. Both will result in vastly different wines. The winemakers really need to know the soil just as much as they know their grapes. Around Eguisheim there are many terroirs, and there are detailed maps breaking down the soils of the area. When the winemaker anticipates the properties that their final wine would have, they need to take these soils into account as much as any other detail. The difference in the results can be extraordinary! Sometimes the winemaker blends grapes from various terroirs to produce the qualities they want. In other cases – such as the Pinot Gris Eichberg – the grapes are taken from a single vineyard section, and as such the name of the terroir or section is featured in the name of the wine. Eichberg is one of the hills where the vineyard that made this wine was located. They had other vineyards with wines made from the single terroirs that are named the same way, and they also had various blends of terroirs to create the balance they intended. It is a perfect combination of art and science, and it is truly amazing stuff!
We bought our bottle of Gris Eichberg and wandered a bit around the winery and sat on the bench outside, just feeling our presence there and appreciating where we were before we finally bid our farewell to Eguisheim. Such an amazing, beautiful town that I am so disappointed to leave without properly getting to see. Beth went into the church at the center of town, but unfortunately I was unable to make the climb. I heard it was beautiful.
We stopped into the pharmacy before we got the car where in just 5 minutes I got a prescription strength painkiller and medicated lotion for a couple Euro. Pharmacists here don't just fill prescriptions, they actually use their knowledge to get you the right meds and can actually prescribe many themselves. Had I tried to get these same medications in the US, I would have needed a doctor appointment (with copay) to get a prescription prior to going to the pharmacy. I also know from getting this same medicine back home that I would have easily spent an extra $100 and taken at least an extra hour or two, even if I could get the doctor appointment immediately. I try to avoid politics on this site, but come on... let's catch up to the world's healthcare standards already.
We slowly walked back to the car, looking longingly back toward those old circular streets and colorful buildings. We left Eguisheim with a deep feeling in our chest that we will be back walking those streets before very long.
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